Parking
Start at the signed Old Wagon Trail Hikers Parking pullout on the right side of Scenic Drive. It is paved and has room for about three vehicles; the park entrance fee applies beyond Fruita Campground.
Overview
About Old Wagon Trail Loop
Why go
- Broad views over the Waterpocket Fold, with Ferns Nipple, Golden Throne and the Henry Mountains.
- The loop adds changing terrain to the shared approach.
Heads up
- About 1,080 feet of climbing on uneven, rocky tread.
- Cairns on the return can be easy to miss; there is no water on route.
Old Wagon Trail Loop is a 3.8-mile round-trip lollipop loop from a signed pullout on Scenic Drive. A shared approach climbs Miners Mountain before the route circles back around a viewpoint on Moenkopi slabs. Allow about 2½–3 hours. The climb is steady and the tread gets rough; this is a hard hike for its distance, with about 1,080 feet of gain from roughly 5,800 to 6,900 feet.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Capitol Reef map
Full mapElevation5,840–6,906 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Capitol Reef alerts
- CautionFlash-flood hazard in canyons and washesHeavy rains can cause sudden flooding in Capitol Reef’s canyons and washes; do not hike or drive through floodwater.Official details
- CautionE. coli advisory for Fremont River and Sulphur CreekDo not swim in the Fremont River or Sulphur Creek or get water in your mouth: NPS reports elevated E. coli in both waterways, and Utah DEQ has issued a warning advisory. - DEQ reports Sulphur Creek E.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Capitol Reef Tour Guide
Your drive to Old Wagon Trail Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Capitol Reef National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Capitol Reef audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Old Wagon Trail0:00 / 0:24
“Up ahead is the Old Wagon Trail pullout, for a hard climb up Miners Mountain to a broad view of the Waterpocket Fold.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Slickrock Divide
- The Oriole’s Hanging Nest
- The Coyote’s Contact Calls
- The Surveyors’ Erosion Prank
- 116 audio storiesacross Capitol Reef’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Marmot, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 48 trails, 52 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Old Wagon Trail Loop
Follow the postsFrom the pullout, the path drops about 50 feet into a wash, then climbs west.
From the pullout, the path drops about 50 feet into a wash, then climbs west. For the first mile and a half, you gain height through pinyon and juniper while the Waterpocket Fold sits behind you and the Henry Mountains grow more prominent to the east. Around a mile in, a short descent gives your legs a break before a post marks the loop; go left to follow it clockwise.
Near two miles, another post directs you right onto the loop's final section. A short spur reaches the viewpoint. After returning to the post, follow the cairns downhill. They can blend into the rocky slope, so keep watching for them. At about three miles, the trail rejoins the uphill stem for the walk back to the pullout.
The climb and the gradeThe first half is a sustained climb, briefly easing near the loop junction. Around 1.
The first half is a sustained climb, briefly easing near the loop junction. Around 1.8 miles the route bends north and the view opens to cliffs, domes and surrounding mountains; the trail then levels out before the final turn. The high point is near 6,900 feet. Uneven rock and the long ascent make this more demanding than the mileage alone suggests.
The view from the slabsThe overlook sits on broad Moenkopi slabs.
The overlook sits on broad Moenkopi slabs. From there, the Waterpocket Fold spreads across the view, with Ferns Nipple and Golden Throne among the landmarks and the Henry Mountains beyond. Include some of the sloping rock in the foreground to show where the panorama opens from.
A road with a storyThe route is associated with the Grover cut-off, a shortcut settlers built around the turn of…
The route is associated with the Grover cut-off, a shortcut settlers built around the turn of the 20th century between their main road west of Capitol Gorge and the towns of Teasdale and Grover. Wagon ruts and blasted rock may remain. The exact claim that this rugged tread served as a wagon road is disputed, so treat the historical connection as an association rather than a certainty.
Read the red rockMiners Mountain is named for copper and uranium deposits.
Miners Mountain is named for copper and uranium deposits. The trail crosses the Moenkopi Formation, ancient tidal and shoreline deposits laid down about 240 million years ago in the Early Triassic. The layered slabs and distant sandstone landmarks make the geology part of the payoff, not just the climb.
Is this the hike for you?The paved pullout is small, with room for about three vehicles.
The paved pullout is small, with room for about three vehicles. Pets are not permitted on Capitol Reef's hiking trails. There is no water along the route, so start with what you will need.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Capitol Reef
50 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
322 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsCottontail RabbitMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsTurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
14 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Capitol Reef. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
